Chiro's Twin
by Aprotny
Summary: Now, lots of people believe Chiro was abused, but what if it was by his own parents? What if they shot him and Master Zan saved his life? Takes place after the war between the living and the dead. Main character is mostly Chiro's twin, Catherine, but Chiro is a main character as well. Rated T for Character Death(s).
1. Chapter 1

**(A/n) I'm back in SRMTHFG Fanfiction with another story about Chiro! Hope you enjoy! (A/n)**

**-? POV-**

I heard the dogs barking. It was probably my twin brother trying to rescue me again. I didn't understand why. He hadn't tried in three years. He'd tried about a million times between the day he escaped and three years ago, but then he stopped.

The door to my room opened. It was my brother.

I stood up, surprised he'd made it all the way to my… it used to be our… room.

"Come on. Let's…" There was a gunshot. My brother stopped mid-sentence and fell to his knees and then to the floor. His eyes were wide in shock.

"CHIRO!" I screamed. I quickly knelt beside him and grabbed his hand. "Chiro, don't leave me! You can't leave me!"

A green light erupted from Chiro's body. Then, he started to disappear. I looked down at my hand and saw I was starting to disappear too.

"Chiro, what's going on?" I asked.

The moment I finished my question, we were in a different place. I looked around in amazement. Where were we? Was that an alien coming towards us?

"Move." The alien said. It took me a moment to realize he was talking to me. I let go of Chiro's hand and scurried out of the way.

The alien used magic to pull the bullet out of Chiro's back. Then, he placed his hands on the wound and poured green light, much like the kind that had come from Chiro's body, into the injury.

"Who are you and what are you doing?" I asked.

"I'll answer your questions in a moment, miss." The alien said. "Please be quiet for the moment."

I looked at the wound. It appeared to be quickly healing. How was that possible?

Finally, the alien removed his hands from the wound. All that was left of the wound was a scar where the bullet had entered.

"What? How?" I lapsed into speechlessness.

"I used the Power Primate to heal parts of his body that would not normally heal. He will live, but he will need daily healing sessions up until to two weeks after he wakes up." The alien said. "Forgive me for not introducing myself. I am called Master Zan."

"Th-thank you, Master Zan. Thank you for saving my brother." I said. "My name's Catherine. Do you know when he will wake up?"

Master Zan shook his head. "It could take as long as a year and a half for him to wake up, and I'm afraid I cannot send him home until he is fully recovered and back in fighting condition."

"If he's staying here, so am I." I said firmly. "I was wondering though… what's the Power Primate?"

"That green light you saw was the Power Primate." Master Zan explained. "It is what gives your brother his powers and it is what I used to heal him."

"Oh." I said, only half understanding.

"I also have the ability to give some Power Primate to others, albeit not a lot. If you are staying here, it is best you have some." Master Zan said.

A sensation washed over me and I fainted.

**-NOVA POV-**

**Meanwhile…**

"Have you found out who that distress signal belonged to yet, Antauri?" I asked.

"Patience, Nova. The distress signal has disappeared. It will take time to track it." Antauri told me.

The whole team, with the exception of Chiro, was in Antauri's room. We had all felt the abnormally strong Power Primate distress signal.

"Where's Chiro? This isn't something to sleep through. Surely he felt the distress signal as well." Sprx said.

"I'll go get him!" Otto volunteered and ran out of the room.

We would have laughed at his enthusiasm if the situation we were dealing with wasn't so serious. A distress signal like the one we felt isn't given off unless a Power Primate user is dying and it usually doesn't disappear so suddenly.

"Guys, we've got a problem!" Otto ran back into the room holding a piece of paper in his hand.

I read the piece of paper out loud. "'Monkey Team, I have something I need to take care of. Don't worry, I'll be back in a few hours. If anything happens, call me on my communicator. I'm not going far. Sincerely, Chiro.'"

Antauri opened his eyes and stared at the piece of paper in Otto's hand. Then, he gave some orders. "Gibson, find out how long ago Chiro left. Sprx, try to contact him. Nova, Otto, start searching the city. We need to find him immediately."

"Are you going to try to find him with the Power Primate?" I asked.

Antauri nodded. "He can't be far."

With the exception of Antauri, we all hurried out of the room and immediately started on whatever job we'd been given.

Hopefully, Chiro was all right.


	2. Chapter 2

**-CATHERINE POV-**

It had been a year since the incident. Chiro still hadn't awoken. I was really worried, but Master Zan kept reassuring me that he was recovering, albeit slowly.

Nobody had come looking for him. I suspected nobody knew where he was. That was okay. As long as he was here, he was safe; we didn't need somebody to come take him away.

I was unsure whether to trust Master Zan at first, but he quickly climbed the scale of people I trusted until he was right below Chiro, which wasn't very difficult considering Chiro was the _only_ person I'd trusted before I met Master Zan.

My Power Primate training was progressing well. Today was Tuesday, which was the day during which the apprentices each met individually with Master Zan for training.

My turn was first and I was surprised to see several other apprentices in there when I entered.

"Sister Catherine, welcome. We are about to have a meeting about a mission I am going to send the four of you on." Master Zan said.

My heart beat faster. "A mission? What about my brother?"

"He will stay here in order to continue his recovery process." Master Zan said. "Please do not panic, Sister Catherine. I will take good care of him."

I gulped and sat down with the other three apprentices that were supposedly going with me on this 'mission'.

"An old enemy has returned to threaten a group whose trust I am trying to earn back. They will need help to repel him, which is why you four are leaving Koraladon to go help them." Master Zan explained. "I am ashamed to say I was once brainwashed by the enemy into fighting this group, one of whom was a former student of mine. That is why they no longer trust me. However, I have spoken to my former student and he has agreed to give me a second chance."

"You want us to help you gain back their trust." I realized.

Master Zan nodded. "Yes, it is selfish of me, but they do need all the help they can get. Sister Catherine, you are in charge of this mission. I want you to keep the others in line and do everything you can to help the Hyper Force." He handed me a circular device. I opened it and a hologram came out. After I closed it again, Master Zan continued. "That is a communication device. I would like you to call me regularly and update me on your progress. In return, I will tell you how your brother is doing."

I smiled. "Thank you, Master Zan. I'm counting on you."

"As I on you." Master Zan replied. "You are dismissed to go pack your bags. Sister Catherine, I would like to speak to you privately for a moment."

I watched the other three apprentices leave before turning back to Master Zan.

"Sister Catherine, you must not mention your brother's name in front of the Hyper Force." Master Zan told me. "Brother Chiro is their leader and they'll be very angry if they find out I've had him all this time."

"But you saved his life." I said. "Wouldn't they be grateful?"

"They would not believe it unless they heard it from Brother Chiro himself." Master Zan replied. "And Brother Chiro is not recovered enough to go home yet."

"I understand, Master Zan. I will not tell them, but they will have questions for me. I look exactly like a female version of my brother." I pointed out.

"That is why you are going in disguise, Sister Catherine. It is best if they do not know you are their leader's sister." Master Zan told her.

I smiled lightly. "Alright. I'll do it."

"Good girl. You'll set off tomorrow morning with the others. I'll give you your disguise then."

**-SPRX POV-**

**Two days later…**

Master Zan's apprentices arrived today. I don't trust them, not after what happened with Master Zan last time. Not to mention, Chiro's still missing. He probably wouldn't approve either, but Antauri's in charge right now and he seems determined to give Master Zan another chance.

Their leader is named Catherine. She looks like some species we've never met, but speaks Shuggazoomian.

I think she's hiding something from us, probably on Master Zan's orders. I just hope she doesn't plan to betray us like Master Zan did.

"I don't understand why you're so determined to trust them, Antauri! They work for Master Zan!" I argued for the twenty-eighth time.

Antauri turned to look at me. "Master Zan seemed determined to redeem himself. Not to mention, Skeleton King probably brainwashed him last time. Everyone deserves a second chance. Master Zan is no exception."

"How do you know he isn't the one who kidnapped Chiro? Or that he sent his apprentices to spy on us?" I asked.

"Seriously, Sprx. I highly doubt that Master Zan did either of those things." Antauri said.

"Have you even _tried_ to find Chiro?" I snapped.

"I already told you. Chiro is somehow too far away for me to sense."

"_Koraladon_ is too far away for you to sense."

"Sprx, you are really starting to irritate me."

"Look, Antauri. We need to find Chiro. We haven't even _checked_ Koraladon."

"And we do not need to. I know Master Zan did not kidnap Chiro. When he contacted me, I saw within that he had no bad intentions."

"Humph. I don't believe you."

"Believe whatever you'd like, but do not try anything. We need your help to win this war."

"Fine…"

"Good. Now why don't you go patrol the city or something? It will take your mind off the situation."

"Alright. I'm going."

I left the Command Center.

**-ANTAURI POV-**

I decided to check how the apprentices were settling in after Sprx left the robot..

Unfortunately, when I went up to the room where they were to be staying, I found only three out of four unpacking.

I raised an eyebrow. "May I ask where Catherine went off to?"

"She finished unpacking and wandered off." One of them said. "I don't know where she went to, but she seemed to be in deep thought."

I nodded in understanding. "Thank you for the information. I would have appreciated it if she had waited for us to give you the tour, but there is nothing we can do about that now. Finish unpacking and wait here. I'll go find Catherine."

I went down to the Command Center and brought up the security cameras. It didn't take long for me to find Catherine. She was in Chiro's room, one of the rooms we were planning to declare off limits. Not just that, but she was looking through Chiro's personal items!

I immediately went up there and opened the door.

Catherine turned when she heard the door open. She immediately snapped the photo album in her hand shut.

"It never occurred to you once that you shouldn't be looking through someone else's things?" I asked sternly.

"I'm sorry, Antauri, sir. I wasn't thinking." Catherine said.

"You're not allowed in this room. We were planning to tell you that the bedrooms other than your own were off limits." I continued.

"Again. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"Come out of there."

"Yes sir."

I led Catherine back to the bedroom she was sharing with the other apprentices. Nova and Gibson were already there. "Alright. We'll take you on that tour now."

We showed the apprentices the whole robot. Rooms that were necessary for the robot to function, as well as Gibson's lab and the bedrooms, were marked off limits. Despite what I'd said to Sprx, we weren't giving them our full trust just yet.

Sprx called just as we concluded the tour. There was trouble on the east side of the City.

Over the next few days, the apprentices, excluding Catherine, all proved themselves worthy of our trust. Catherine still seemed to be hiding something for us. Something big. Deep down, I had this feeling that it was something about Chiro.

She did admit to us why she trusted Master Zan, though. Her explanation also explained the distress signal over a year ago. Apparently, her brother, who also had the power primate, was shot in the back that night. If Master Zan hadn't immediately taken action, he would have died. He had used a rare technique that I had not been taught to heal him. Then, he had taught that technique to Catherine just in case he was not there to treat her brother when needed.

We did well in the war over the next few months, but we knew we could not win it without Chiro. Where was he? Didn't he realize we needed him badly?

And we did. We needed him in more ways than one.


	3. Chapter 3

**-CATHERINE POV-**

Sprx is finally starting to trust us. We've come a long way since we got here.

Unfortunately, six months into the war, a year and a half after Chiro was shot, we were called back to Koraladon. Master Zan said he would explain his reasoning when we got there. I was a little mad because the monkeys still needed our help. They couldn't defend against Skeleton King without us unless Chiro had miraculously fully recovered, a feat I doubted since he'd only awoken less than a week ago and still couldn't move on his own.

Nevertheless, we had to follow Master Zan's orders. He was our teacher. We were not supposed to disobey him. Also, Master Zan had specifically wanted _me_ to come back. I suspected that had something to do with my brother and my need to make sure Chiro was doing well forced me to follow orders.

So we returned to Koraladon. The monkeys were not happy about it, but they knew Master Zan had to have a good reason.

Master Zan was waiting for us when we arrived. He dismissed my three fellow apprentices and told me to stay.

"Sister Catherine, I'm afraid I am being forced to make a bad decision."

"What do you mean, Master Zan?"

"Skeleton King came here. He wanted me to join him and threatened to take captive every living creature inside these walls should I refuse. I could not let him find your brother. That is why I called you back."

"Master Zan… you… you can't! The monkeys will never trust you again if you do!"

"At the moment, it is not the monkeys' trust I am worried about. It is your brother and all the apprentices and masters within these walls. I have a plan. Skeleton King will come back here to get me tonight. Once I am gone, you will take Brother Chiro and escape to a planet called Veridan. The other apprentices and masters will flee Koraladon as well, heading home to their respective planets. As soon as I get news that the Varon Temple is empty, I will escape Skeleton King and head back to Koraladon. My battle with Skeleton King begins and ends here."

I stared at Master Zan in awe. Snapping out of it, I gave him a hug, surprising him.

"Thank you, Master Zan. For everything." I whispered.

"When Brother Chiro is fully recovered and back in fighting condition, I suggest you return to Shuggazoom and aid the monkeys. Until then, keep the war a secret from Brother Chiro. He mustn't know what is happening or he will try to return to Shuggazoom before he is ready."

"I understand, Master Zan. Thank you."

"Good luck, Sister Catherine. Stay safe."

"I will. I promise."

**Later…**

Everything went as planned and I successfully snuck Chiro to the ships without Skeleton King noticing. My brother was wobbly when standing, but he managed to make it with my assistance.

We waited in the ship while Skeleton King took off with Master Zan. As soon as his ship was off radar, I programmed the flight course to Veridan and we left Koraladan for what would probably be the last time.

It took about two and a half days to get to Veridan due to the Varon ships being a little slow at times, but we made it there safely.

We stayed in the ship gathering supplies for a couple hours before leaving to search for a nearby shelter.

We had landed in a forest near the mountains, but it still took us about two days to get to the nearest cave due to Chiro still being weak.

"Chiro, how are you feeling? Better?" I asked, worried about my twin. It took me a moment to realize he'd fallen asleep from pure exhaustion. "I'll go get some firewood. Stay here." I didn't care that I was talking to myself. I would be quick.

As I gathered the firewood, I thought about the situation. The Varon Temple was probably empty by now, which meant Master Zan had probably left Skeleton King's side by now. Skeleton King would be looking for us soon, as in me, the other apprentices, and the varons. He didn't know about Chiro. Thank Shuggazoom he didn't know about Chiro.

I went back to the cave with an armload of firewood and started a fire. Then, I went and found some food to tide us over.

The next few weeks passed quickly. Chiro was getting stronger and stronger and I was even able to start having him do exercises to get back into shape.

Finally, he was ready. Ready to go back to Shuggazoom.

Unfortunately, that was no longer an option.


	4. Chapter 4

**-CATHERINE POV-**

"I don't understand! How did the ship get destroyed like this?!" I cried.

The day before, we had started down from the mountain to get back to the ship. That day, we'd reached it just to find it totally and completely wrecked.

Chiro yanked me into the bushes and covered my mouth. I looked where he was looking to see Skeleton King's ship passing over us. Formless ran past our hiding spot, but didn't find us.

I pulled out my communication device and stood up once they were gone.

"What are you doing, Catherine?" Chiro hissed.

"We need help. I'm calling the monkeys." I replied.

"Why didn't you do that sooner? Before we were in danger?"

"We were supposed to be safe here. It was supposed to be a refuge where we could stay during your recovery without being discovered. Master Zan's orders were for us to stay here until you were back in fighting condition. Then, we would head to Shuggazoom. We no longer have a way to _get_ to Shuggazoom and we can't let Skeleton King find us. We need…" Chiro yanked me back down into the bushes, covering my mouth once more.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are…" It was Skeleton King on the TV monster. We could hear the loud stomps.

We stayed absolutely still and silent while he passed.

"I will find you sooner or later. You can't hide forever." Skeleton King said, going away from us. The formless were poking around the bushes and trees, but they fortunately didn't look in the one we were hiding in.

This time when they passed, Chiro urged me to crawl. We crawled all the way back to the mountain and then climbed it carefully.

We went all the way back to the cave we'd been staying in.

"Right. You were going to call the monkeys?" Chiro asked me.

"Stay out of sight. I have a plan to get them to come get us immediately." I said.

"They wouldn't if they knew I was here?"

"They'd think you could take care of yourself until they got here."

"Fine. I'll be quiet."

"Good." I activated my communication device. "Monkey Team. Monkey Team, come in."

The communication device buzzed to life. Nova answered. "Catherine? Is that you?"

"Yes! I need your help! My brother and I are trapped on a planet called Veridan and Skeleton King's found us! Can you please send someone to rescue us?!"

Chiro gave me a look that said '_That's_ your plan?'

"Why should we? After all, Master Zan _did_ betray us. _Again_!" Sprx said.

"Fine! Guess you'll never find out where Chiro is! Bye!" I hung up.

Chiro stared at me. "Are you serious?"

"What? It gives them motivation to come find us." I said. My communication device buzzed again. I held a finger out to Chiro. "Yes?"

"Fine! We'll come and get you! But you have to tell us where Chiro is right here, right now!" Sprx said.

"If I tell you now, how do I know you'll come rescue us?" I said triumphantly, knowing I had them wrapped around my finger.

"We'll be there as soon as possible. Keep away from Skeleton King as much as possible until we get there. He can't find you if you're constantly on the move." That was Antauri.

"Thanks for the advice. We'll be waiting." I said cheerfully and hung up. I made a 'v' shape with my arms. "Victory!"

Chiro rolled his eyes. "You can cheer when we're somewhere safe. Come on. Antauri said to keep moving. Let's get to the other side of the mountain."

I agreed with him and we left the cave and began our journey to the other side of the mountain.

**-SPRX POV-**

"I don't get why we agreed to go rescue her! She could've just been lying to get us to come rescue her!" I said.

"For once, I have to agree with Sprx. She did appear to be toying with us." Gibson said.

"True, but there's also a possibility that she wasn't, and if that's the case, we cannot let that information fall into Skeleton King's hands." Antauri pointed out.

"Antauri's right. If what she said was true, Skeleton King could easily find out where Chiro is before we do. We don't know what kind of condition Chiro is in right now. He might not be able to defend himself." Nova said. "I volunteer to go get her and her brother."

"Good. Good luck, Nova. Get to Veridan as fast as possible." Antauri said.

Nova nodded and left.


	5. Chapter 5

** -NORMAL POV-**

"Catherine, let's stop for the night." Chiro said, turning around to look at his sister. "We walked a lot today."

"And ran and crawled." Catherine added.

Chiro rolled his eyes. "Smart-aleck. One of us is going to have to keep watch. I volunteer to go first."

"How will we see in the dark?" Catherine asked.

"With the Power Primate." Chiro answered. "You haven't learned to see with the Power Primate yet?"

"Can you teach me?" Catherine asked eagerly.

Chiro nodded and quickly taught her how to do it. "I'm going to keep watch while you sleep, okay? I'll wake you up when it's your turn."

Catherine agreed and curled up next to a tree.

**Three hours later…**

"Catherine! Catherine, wake up!" Chiro hissed.

"Mm. Is it my turn?" Catherine mumbled sleepily.

"It's no one's turn. We've got to run. Skeleton King's nearby." Chiro whispered.

Catherine eyes popped open and she quickly got to her feet.

The two kids started running, but they didn't get far before formless blocked their path. Chiro could just barely see them in the moonlight. He stopped short, grabbing his sister's arm so that she stopped as well.

Using the Power Primate, he looked around for an escape route, but all possible paths were quickly blocked. He cursed under his breath.

"Are we surrounded?" Catherine asked.

Chiro nodded. "We'll have to fight our way out. Cover me, okay?"

"Huh? Chiro!" Chiro had run off towards the formless and started fighting. Shaking her head to clear it, she ran over to join him.

**Meanwhile…**

Nova flew over the forests of Veridan. "I can understand why they wouldn't light a fire, but can't they do _something_ to help me figure out where they are?"

She noticed green lights lighting up the forest below.

"What are they doing? Dueling each other?" She looked closer. "Formless!"

She landed on top of some formless, squashing them. The two humans were too busy fighting to notice.

"Hey! Over here!" Nova yelled.

The kids didn't look at her immediately, but she got the attention of the formless, some of whom ran over to fight her. Using the distraction as an advantage, the kids quickly finished destroying the formless.

With Nova's help, the area was soon clear.

"Thanks. We appreciate it." Catherine said to Nova.

"You won't be thanking me when the others try to force that information out of you." Nova said. "How long have you known where Chiro was anyways?"

"Questions later. Let's get out of here first." Catherine said. "Come on." She grabbed her brother's wrist and dragged him over to Nova's ship.

In the light of the ship, Nova saw that the boy with Catherine _was _Chiro.

"Wait a second. If Chiro's here, where's your brother?" She asked Catherine.

"Chiro _is_ my brother." Catherine explained.

Nova's mouth fell open. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"We'll explain later" Chiro said. "When we're on Shuggazoom with the rest of the team."

Nova sighed and piloted the ship into the hyper-boost warp tunnel.

They hadn't gotten far when an explosion sent the ship barreling out of the tunnel.

"What just happened?" Chiro asked.

"Looks like Skeleton King doesn't want us reaching Shuggazoom." Catherine observed.

Another hit rocked the ship and they were forced to crash-land on the nearest planet with oxygen.

Nova went outside and observed the damage. "I doubt it'll make it back to Shuggazoom if we don't do some repairs first!" She called to Chiro and Catherine. There was a pause and then a scream.

"NOVA!" Chiro shouted, running towards the exit. Catherine grabbed him and hid him in a corner.

"I'll go try to save her. Stay here. If both of us are captured, our only hope is for you to repair the ship and go for help on Shuggazoom." She whispered.

Chiro reluctantly nodded.

Catherine ran outside. There were sounds of fighting and then… silence. When Nova and Catherine didn't return, Chiro knew. He knew it was up to him now.


	6. Chapter 6

**-WARNING: CHARACTER DEATH IN THIS CHAPTER-**

**Weeks later…**

Chiro wiped his brow and admired his handiwork. He had finally finished fixing Nova's ship, but he knew it wouldn't survive in the Hyper Boost Warp Tunnel and Shuggazoom was several months away without it. He prayed Nova and Catherine, and the rest of his team, could survive until then.

**Several months later…**

A cloaked figure entered Shuggazoom City. Nobody paid him any mind. They were too busy working. Since Nova had been captured months ago and the rest of the Monkey Team had been forced to surrender, all they had done was work. They'd lost all hope when Skeleton King had showed footage of Chiro's 'death'. None of them knew where he was buried or if he was buried at all, but they didn't care. Their heroes had failed them. There was no one who could save them now.

The cloaked figure entered an alleyway and ran into a girl about his age.

"Who are you?" The girl asked. "Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be working?"

"I could ask you the same question." The figure said in a quite obviously faked voice.

"Why aren't you using your real voice?" The girl questioned.

"That's none of your business." The cloaked figure replied.

The girl took a step back. "You don't work for Skeleton King, do you?"

"Depends. Do you?" The cloaked figure answered.

"That's none of…" The girl stopped herself when she realized what was going on. "Why are you here if you don't work for Skeleton King? This is his territory now. It's no longer Shuggazoom City, it's Skeleton Dominion."

"So you do work for Skeleton King?" The cloaked figure prodded.

The girl hesitated. "Well…"

"If there's a rebellion, I'd like you to take me to it." The cloaked figure said.

"What are you talking about? There is no rebellion. Nobody's brave enough to start one." The girl almost panicked.

The cloaked figure stared at her. "Okay then. I'll leave."

The girl stopped panicking. "What?"

"If there's no rebellion, that's okay. I can do this without their help."

"Do what?"

"What do you think?"

"You don't mean…"

"I do mean."

"Who are you?"

"Doesn't matter."

The cloaked figure turned on his heel and walked away.

The girl stood frozen in the alleyway, not knowing what to do as he exited the city, knocking out anyone who tried to prevent him from doing so.

**-CHIRO POV-**

Based on the girl's reaction, I could tell she was part of the rebellion. Still, they wouldn't trust me unless they knew who I was, and, based on the hopelessness I sensed from just about everyone there, I could tell I was believed to be dead.

I wanted to keep it that way. I could get through it without telling anyone who I was. All I had to do was keep my hood up and continue using a fake voice.

I made it out of the city after fighting a bunch of formless and headed to the place in the outskirts where I found the Super Robot. I hoped part of the rebellion would find me there. I had no idea there had been a tunnel built leading to the outskirts and that the place where Super Robot had been found all those years ago was now the meeting place of the rebellion.

Because of this, I was extremely surprised when I was ambushed when I was nearly there and tied to a tree near what was now the rebellion's camp.

"Who are you, kid?" It was BT who spoke this to me.

I thought for a moment before saying in my fake voice, "A friend."

BT stared at me for a moment. "Prove it."

"Why should I?"

"Because we won't let you go if you don't."

"You don't have to let me go. I can break free easily."

"Don't be so sure. We have guards everywhere."

"I can defeat them."

"Why won't you tell us who you are?"

"Because I don't have to."

"Do you work for Skeleton King?"

"Do you?"

"Answer the question."

"No, I don't."

"What do you know about the Hyper Force?"

I paused, figuring I shouldn't tell too much. "They're the heroes of Shuggazoom City and they were captured by Skeleton King."

"That's common knowledge. What else do you know?"

"I only know what everyone else does."

"Oh really?"

"What do you want from me?"

"I want to know who you are and why you came here."

"I stumbled upon this place a long time ago. It's not common knowledge that this is your hideout. I can't come here for pleasure? This is a public spot, isn't it?"

"Smart-aleck."

"So what?"

"Why can't you just answer the questions? How did you even get out of the city?"

"I could ask you the same question."

"We have our ways."

"Okay. I need to be going now."

"Oh no, you don't. You'll stay here until you tell us exactly who you are."

"Nah. I don't feel like it." With those words, I broke free of my restraints and made a run for it.

The guards tried to stop me, but, as I'd told BT, I easily defeated them.

The chase went on for hours before I finally lost them. I collapsed to my knees in an attempt to catch my breath. Raising my arms so that I could breathe better, I looked around. I wasn't far from Skeleton King's castle now, although I was out of sight for the moment in one of the ditches our army had used for the war.

Quietly, I took some food from my bag and ate it. There had been a load of food on Nova's ship, but most of it was gone due to my long journey to Shuggazoom.

After finishing my meal, I peeked towards the castle. There were formless all over the place and the ditches wouldn't provide very good cover on the way there.

I sighed, wishing there were someone who could help me with this, and snuck towards the castle as discreetly as possibly. By some miracle, I managed to make it in unnoticed, but I knew that good fortune wouldn't last long.

Once inside, I picked a direction and went that way. I had to find the monkeys.

It took a couple hours, but I eventually did find them… and I prayed I was imagining it.

There, spread across a cell, were six bodies. Blood had turned the fur red on four of them while the other two were ripped to pieces. I could tell which monkeys were which and which body belonged to Jinmay, but I didn't care at the moment. They were dead. My family was dead.

"Hey!" I heard Catherine's voice behind me and turned to look at her. "What did you do?!"

"It… it wasn't me…" My voice was quivering. I didn't even bother to use my fake voice. It didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered anymore. "But you can kill me anyways if you'd like."

Catherine knelt by the bodies. "Jinmay and Antauri can probably be put back together, but the others…"

"Don't say it. I know it. Please don't say it." I sobbed.

Catherine looked at me carefully. "You know how to make it up to them, right?"

"How?"

"By defeating the Skeleton King and freeing Shuggazoom City."

"I can't. Not without them."

"You have to. It's our only hope." She hugged me. "You're our only hope. Try not to think about revenge. Just pretend they're here to back you up. I'll get some of the best mechanics in the city to put Jinmay and Antauri back together. I promise."

"We were the best mechanics in the city."

"Okay. The second best mechanics in the city."

"Fine."

I left the cell and travelled to where I knew Skeleton King was hiding.

It didn't take long to defeat him. My love for the Monkey Team helped me out. I pretended they were cheering me on, even though I knew it would never be so again.

After Skeleton King was destroyed, I left Shuggazoom. I didn't care that Jinmay and Antauri could be put back together. I didn't care that Catherine would worry. The image of my dead family stayed with me and it urged me to leave. There was nothing left for me on Shuggazoom. Not without my family.


	7. Chapter 7

**-CATHERINE POV-**

I sighed as I entered the kitchen of the Super Robot. Because of the powers I'd been given by Master Zan, Antauri and Jinmay had asked me to stay and help protect the city in place of their dead teammates.

We were all still mourning, so Jinmay and Antauri didn't ask me what was wrong. They thought I was sad about the deaths of Nova, Sprx, Gibson, and Otto, but, in reality, I was upset about the fact that Chiro hadn't shown his face since he'd defeated the Skeleton King.

Nobody else knew who'd defeated the Skeleton King. I was the only one and, so far, I hadn't told a soul.

I had assumed he would come back eventually, but it had already been almost a year and a half, so I figured he wasn't coming back of his own free will.

It was my job to bring him home, but how was I going to communicate this to Jinmay and Antauri?

I played with my cereal, thinking.

"Catherine, is there something you'd like to tell us?" Antauri asked, sensing I wasn't actually mourning the loss of the others.

I stood up. "I'm not hungry."

"Catherine, please tell us what's on your mind." Jinmay said.

I felt a sob threatening to break free of my throat, but I refused to let it. "It's my brother. He left Shuggazoom after Skeleton King was defeated and hasn't returned since."

"I remember you telling us about your brother." Jinmay said. "You said Master Zan saved his life."

"You don't understand." I said quietly. "My brother was the first to see your dead bodies, even before me. I think he was traumatized by it and that's why he hasn't returned. You see my brother… he's…. never mind."

Jinmay looked disappointed that I hadn't finished that last fact about my brother. Antauri, on the other hand, looked like he understood.

"Then go look for him." Antauri said. "Jinmay and I can handle the city without you for a while. Go find your brother and bring him home."

I stared at him, surprised. "You really mean it?"

Antauri nodded and Jinmay put in her own thoughts on the situation. "I'm sure we'd both love to meet your brother. Good luck on your journey."

"Thank you. Thank you both." I said. "I promise I'll find him and bring him home. I promise."

**-CHIRO POV-**

**A couple months later…**

I was working in a bar for fuel for my ship when someone tall came in, wearing a cloak.

Somehow, he looked familiar, but I didn't really care.

"One Martini please. Tick Tock." The tall alien said.

My eyes widened at those last two words, but I quickly snapped out of it and made Scrapperton a Martini.

"One Martini." I whispered, avoiding looking him in the eyes and using my fake voice.

"Have I seen you somewhere before?" Scrapperton asked.

"Not that I know of." I murmured.

"What's a minor like you doing working in a bar?" Scrapperton asked.

"Need some fuel." I mumbled.

"Hey Wanderer!" The boss called. "We've got some dishes that need washing! Head to the kitchen!"

"Yes sir!" I called and hurried to the kitchen.

As I washed the dishes, I heard Scrapperton engage the boss in conversation and was immediately glad I'd never told the boss any personal information. Still, I was relieved when Scrapperton paid and left.

I finished washing the dishes and came back out to the bar area.

Unfortunately, I came out at the wrong time.

The drunk aliens in the bar had started fighting and plates, silverware, and food were flying everywhere.

I saw a fork flying at me and tried to duck. That was the last thing I remembered.

**-CATHERINE POV-**

**Days later…**

I had managed to find a few clues on Chiro's location. I had figured out he worked in bars and restaurants when he needed fuel and that he told people to call him 'Wanderer'. Unfortunately, his path jumped back and forth around the galaxy and I was stuck searching every bar and restaurant in the directory until I found him.

I was landing at another bar when a familiar symbol caught my eye. I gasped. The Hyper Force symbol! That was the ship Chiro was using!

I pushed back my excitement at having finally found my brother and calmly walked into the bar. The battle wasn't over yet. I still had to convince Chiro to come back with me.

I walked up to the boss man. "Excuse me, have you seen a human boy around here? I think he's going by the name Wanderer."

The boss man stared at me coldly. "Whatcha want with him?"

"Is he here?"

"Answer my question."

I gulped. "You see, he's my brother. He ran away after getting traumatized by something and I want to bring him home."

The boss man's eyes softened. "You're kin?" I nodded. "Kid's head got cracked open last week during a bar fight and he fell into a coma. I haven't had the chance to go visit him, but I can tell you where he is if you promise to bring him back here before heading home."

I processed the information I'd just been given. Chiro was hurt. I had to go see him.

"I promise I'll bring him back here before we go home. We'll need to pick up his ship anyways." I said.

The boss man nodded in satisfaction and told me where the hospital was. I thanked him and left immediately.

After arriving at the hospital, I asked where Chiro was, using the name he had been going by.

My brother lay in a bed, his head bandaged well. I sat down in the chair next to the bed and gently took his hand in mine.

"Chiro… oh Chiro… please don't run from us anymore… we need you…" I whispered.

The long distance communicator that Otto had made before he died rang in my pocket. I took it out and answered it, not noticing Chiro begin to stir.

"Hello?" I said.

"Hey Catherine. How's your search going?" Jinmay asked.

"I found him. Finally, I found him. There's something I have to tell you. Is Antauri there?" I asked.

"Yes. What is it?" Jinmay asked.

"My brother… he's…" I didn't get to finish my statement.

"Go away." I looked up at Chiro's voice. His tired eyes were watching me. "I'm not coming back."

"I'll talk to you later, guys." I hung up before Jinmay could protest. "Chiro, please."

"I made my choice when I left Shuggazoom. I'm never going back. Never ever."

"Chiro, we need you."

"No you don't. You've done a fine job protecting the city without me for the past year and a half."

"That's not why we need you. You're our family, Chiro. You–"

"The monkeys are dead."

"Not all of them."

"They're dead to me. That image still hasn't left my mind and seeing Antauri and Jinmay again will only reinforce it."

"Chiro–"

"Don't. I'm not coming back. I… I can't."

Understanding dawned in my eyes. "You're afraid, aren't you? You're afraid of losing them again."

"Most of them are lost for good."

"But Antauri and Jinmay aren't and they need you."

"Oh please. They don't even know I'm still alive."

"Chiro, please! Please come home! We need you to come home!"

Chiro glared at me. "No."

Tears threatened to break free of my eyes. I dared not show weakness. Chiro had to come home. He had to.

"Chiro, didn't you vow to protect Shuggazoom City and everyone who lives there?"

"They'll be fine without me."

"You're breaking your vow."

"I don't care about the stupid vow. I'm not coming back."

"What would the others think?"

I could tell that last question hit my brother hard. He looked away.

"They'd want to know that you're protecting the city even after what happened happened. They'd want to know you didn't run away and that you got over it and made sure the city stayed safe even without them."

"I saved the city. I defeated Skeleton King."

"There are other criminals out there."

"Please, Catherine, just let me stay away."

I shook my head, tears coming to my eyes. "Chiro, you have to listen to me! _Please_ come… Chiro!"

Chiro's eyes had closed and he was having spasms. I'd seen this twice before, once before our parents started abusing us and once before our best friend outside the family was brutally murdered.

Chiro was having a vision, and that vision was of an impending disaster.

Doctors burst into the room. I'd never realized before that Chiro's vitals went crazy whenever he had a vision. The doctors made me realize that then.

Finally, Chiro's eyes burst open and he screamed.

The doctors left as soon as they made sure he was okay.

"Catherine, there's two things I need you to do for me." Chiro said desperately.

I wanted to set an ultimatum, but knew it wasn't the right time.

"One, I need you to take me to my ship, and two, I need you to evacuate Shuggazoom."

My heart nearly stopped. "Evacuate the city? But Chiro…"

"They need to get off that planet before my vision comes true." Chiro said.

If possible, my heart got even closer to stopping. "You don't mean…"

"I'll try and stop it, but you know that didn't work last time I tried to prevent a vision from happening."

I gulped, trying to process the fact that our planet might be blown up. "I'll try and stop it. You're still in hospital condition."

"No, Catherine. I've avoiding my duties long enough. I have to protect Shuggazoom. I've fought in worse condition. I'll be fine, but I need you to do as I say."

"The doctors won't let you…"

"Oh, third request, sneak me out of here."

I sighed, knowing I couldn't change his mind, especially when it came to a vision.

I opened the window and looked down. We were on the second floor. Thank Shuggazoom we weren't higher up.

Chiro quickly disconnected the hospital equipment and yanked his clothes on.

He joined me at the window and we jumped together. Chiro wobbled a little when we landed, but managed to stay on his feet.

"Antauri will kill me if you get hurt." I said as we ran to my ship. "So be careful."

I flew Chiro back to the bar where he'd been working.

The boss came out and spoke to Chiro, but I could tell my brother was desperate to leave as he explained the situation.

"Catherine! Call Antauri and Jinmay!" He called over his shoulder, reminding me of my second task.

I quickly made the call. I didn't explain about the vision or the reason I needed them to evacuate, but they seemed to understand the urgency in my voice.

Chiro was gone by the time I stepped out of my ship after making the call. I silently pleaded him to be careful.


End file.
